


Day Three Hundred Sixty || Aftermath

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [360]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Child Death, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22278412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: They're all that's left. They can't let their clans' sacrifices be in vain.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [360]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1235528
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Day Three Hundred Sixty || Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> (This is a sequel to days 99 and 241!)

“And so the diseased branches find themselves severed and burned at last.”

Arms bound behind his back with chakra-sealing shackles, Fugaku is shoved to his knees, spine slumped as his exhaustion steals his posture. The ropes are up above his elbows, his severed hand meaning his wrists are no longer viable to hold him. Blood from a split in his brow seeps down over an eye, running down his cheek to drip from his chin to the floor.

From his hunched position, he can see the sandals of his captor, and the urge to spit is overcome only by his lethargy.

“A pity...we had plans only to eliminate your traitorous clan, Fugaku. But then you went and corrupted the Hyūga. Does your depravity and lust for power have no end?”

“...I could ask you the same thing, you rotten son of a bitch -!”

There’s a dull thud as a boot meets his ribs, form jumping slightly with the force before falling flat on his front with a groan.

“Now now...he’s earned a last few words, I think. Let the man speak. He’ll be dead soon. We may as well entertain him.”

Breath ragged, Fugaku struggles to draw air. “...someday...you’ll get yours. We begged and pleaded for our dignity, and our respect...and you met us with murder.”

“Your little uprising had no other outcome, Fugaku.”

“Because your bias and the bias of the council means we would never be free!” he shouts, even as his chest clenches and his ribs protest. “...I know what you want...and you won’t get it. You realize that, don’t you?”

Above him, a single eye narrows. “...what do you mean…?”

Along the floor, Fugaku’s lips curl in a grin that grows and grows, a low laugh rumbling in his chest. It slowly rises, echoing in the chamber until it sounds like the ravings of a madman.

“You think we didn’t plan this far ahead…? You think we didn’t know the outcome…?” Rolling to a side and looking up, he smirks in triumph. “...did you forget just who we allied with…?”

“...no...you didn’t…”

“...we did. Because I’ll be _damned_ before you get your slimy, greedy hands on our eyes, councilman. Us, or the Hyūga. Every dead body laying in our compounds are useless to you now. Our eyes are sealed. You will _never_ have the power of the Sharingan... _or_ the Byakugan. They’re all sealed.”

A long, tense silence blooms, broken only by the rasping of Fugaku’s breathing. Hands both resting atop his cane, Danzō’s bowed head bears an unreadable expression.

“...the Hyūga I was prepared to lose for just such a reason, save for Hiashi. To think that he swallowed his pride enough for that...he must really have put his faith in you. A fool’s mistake. But for the Uchiha do to the same...I will admit, I did not foresee it. In that regard, you have outsmarted me, Fugaku. But you’ve forgotten one thing.”

The councilman’s head lifts, staring down at the clan head with a furious eye. “... _you_ are still alive.”

Fugaku stares back, unblinking. “...wrong again.”

With a clamp of his teeth, he bites into his tongue, flooding his mouth with blood. The viscous liquid alights over the seal imprinted along the roof of his mouth, activating the stored chakra within.

There’s so little time to react.

Immediately, several Root officers leap in front of Danzō, others attempting to smother Fugaku with their own bodies. Yet another drags the councilman back just as the explosion sounds. Glass shatters and debris flies, several of the ANBU torn apart on impact.

Once Danzō finds his feet again, he stares at the aftermath in genuine shock.

...he never thought they’d go so far.

...he underestimated them.

As the surprise fades, a lick of temper grows. It’s true, he was relying on the genocide of the Uchiha to resupply himself and his ally with fresh Sharingan. But now...that appears to be a moot point.

“...Danzō-sama…?”

“...when the collection detail is finished, I want a full report of the body count.” While he already knows children are among the dead, a kind of knowing stirs in the back of his mind. “...if anyone is missing...begin a search immediately.”

Surely they would have a backup plan. Some kind of failsafe. There _must_ be Uchiha or Hyūga left alive _somewhere_...the only question is who, and where.

He still has a chance to salvage this.

Until then, he straightens his garments. “...tell Hiruzen the attacks were a success. Anything else - any information regarding survivors - report to me, and me alone.”

“...hai.”

Hours later and miles north, the last remnants of the clans begin to wake. Shisui, already up after taking second watch, helps gather up the others: Itachi, Sasuke, Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi.

As the younger four adjust to wakefulness, he steps outside their cavern hideaway to talk with Itachi quietly. “No hide nor hair of anyone following us. Seems for now, we’re in the clear. They might not have realized we’re not among the dead...not yet, anyway.”

“Still, best we operate under the assumption they’re right on our tail. We can’t be too careful,” Itachi replies softly, expression heavy with worry.

“Of course.” Looking his cousin over, Shisui then asks, “...did you sleep at all?”

“...a bit.”

“...yeah, me too.” A hand wipes down his face. “...I know we’ve both been through heavy training to get to our ranks, and we both saw the effects of the last war, but...I’ll admit...I wasn’t ready for that.”

Itachi doesn’t reply, glancing aside bitterly.

“...I know that look. Don’t blame yourself, Itachi -”

“There must have been something I could have -?”

“No. The village had already made up its mind. We did all we could. Fugaku and Hiashi, too. And now...this is our reality. Don’t beat yourself up over something you can’t change. Focus on the here, and the now.” He rests a heavy hand on his cousin’s shoulder, expression grave. “...focus on Sasuke. Keeping them safe is all that matters, now. We’re all that’s left. And I’ll personally be damned before we let Konoha wipe us out completely.”

“...you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for, Itachi. You’re allowed to have moments where you waver. I’ll be here to back you up. We’re in this together. For now...best we pack things up, and get going. There’s a chance we have a pretty good lead. They can’t really know what direction we took. While the Naka’s the best choice, it _does_ go both north and south, and has branches. If they want to cover all the possibilities, they’ll have to spread thin, and Root’s not that big to begin with. So long as we’re vigilant, we have a fighting chance.”

“...it’s still unnerving not knowing where we’re going,” Itachi then admits quietly. “Otōsan never told me anything about where we were supposed to go. I never found any information about an Uchiha outpost that far north...it’s practically on the border.”

“Might be a village where he had some allies. Some kind of failsafe where he knew we’d have help.”

“...perhaps. But there were no records of anything there in the library, even in the most recent cartography notes. It’s all tall mountains and thick forests between Hi no Kuni and the more northern nations - the entire range appears to be uninhabited. It’s along the same peaks as Shūmatsu no Tani.”

Shisui hums thoughtfully with a frown. “...well, we’ll just have to see. We might not have always seen eye to eye, but I trust your father’s judgement. He wouldn’t send us anywhere he wasn’t sure would be safe.”

“...I hope you are right.”

The pair commiserate over the map, plotting their route until the younger ones are ready.

“Do you want me to carry Hanabi?”

“Nah, I can do it. No offense, Itachi...but I’m a bit bulkier than you are. You worry about Sasuke, and I’ll handle the Hyūga girls. Feel bad for Neji, though…”

“We will make due. Perhaps he and Hinata can exchange if he gets too tired.”

Given the slim entrance to the cave, they usher the little ones out first, everyone on edge with themselves out in the open. Itachi hefts Sasuke to his back, Shisui strapping Hanabi to his chest as the other two argue over positions.

“I-I can go on foot!”

“So can I.”

“B-but...I was carried y-yesterday, it isn’t fair!”

“Guys, no time for arguing! Hinata, you’ll be carried first. Neji can switch later, okay?”

She makes to protest, but acquiesces as Shisui takes a knee, mirroring Sasuke’s position with Itachi.

“All right...let’s get going.”

**Author's Note:**

> More of the double clan genocide verse! Which is fun :''D I know there wasn't much "ship" content (I use that lightly since at this point they're wee kiddos), BUT consider it some build up...? I DEFINITELY want to do more of this after the challenge with a proper fic, so...I wanted to establish a bit more plot-wise.
> 
> So of course Danzō is our main villain because he's literally Konoha's biggest jerk, and canonly wants those Uchiha peepers. And while Fugaku dying really bums me out...at least he got to give Danzō a big ol' middle finger (AND cost him a few Root agents, so that's a plus!). Sorry for the details, I try not to get too heavy into death / blood / gore. But it was just what Fugaku insisted he do. One last nobel sacrifice u_u
> 
> But...seems Danzō knows this can't be the end of it, so there'll definitely be more conflict there later. Cuz I can't let these kids have nice things :''D And just to clarify, Itachi and Shisui will NOT be a ship in this. I don't do Uchiha pairs, or Hyūga pairs. Shisui and Itachi are best buds, that's all.
> 
> ANYWAY, it's...very very late and I've still got stuff to do, so I'ma sign off there! Thanks for reading~


End file.
